MUSIC

Dixie Chicks Announce First Album in 14 Years: A Look Back at Their Most Badass Moments

Lets take a look at Country's biggest badasses

Mackenzie Cummings-Grady
September 24 2019

Dixie Chick fans rejoiced this morning when Natalie Maines revealed that the bluegrass icons will release their first album in 10 years.

Titled Gaslighter, the album is currently being mixed, and the title alone suggests that the Dixie Chicks will resume the aggressive and poignant political commentary that got them all but banned by Country music conservatives.

"Our last album was the most personal and autobiographical we'd ever been," Maines explained of the band's previous effort, Taking the Long Way, which won 5 Grammys in 2007, including Album of The Year and Song of the Year. "This one is, like, 10 times that." The announcement comes after the band made a surprise appearance on Taylor Swift's new album, Lover. Maines also announced that the group will embark on a national arena tour in 2020.

The Dixie Chicks' timing could not be better. With the political climate the way it is, their aggressive political commentary is more welcomed than ever before. As excitement builds for Gaslighter's release, let's take a look back at some of the Dixie Chicks' most bad-ass moments and pray that more spectacle and camaraderie is to come in the new year.

"We're Ashamed That the President of the United States Is from Texas"

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Dixie Chicks, London 2006

Probably one of Dixie Chicks most highly discussed controversies, on March 10, 2003, nine days before Bush's invasion of Iraq, Maines addressed an audience during a Dixie Chicks performance in London. "We don't want this war, this violence," she said, "and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas." The statement, which didn't even offend Bush and in hindsight seems completely PC compared to the nonsense that spews from our current president's mouth, sparked multiple boycotts of the band across the country, with talk show hosts denouncing the trio as problematic and radio stations blacklisting their music. The trio bit back and went on to record Taking the Long Way, which nearly swept the 2007 Grammy awards. Maines did issue an apology to President Bush, but later said she was proud of her original statement.

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Behind the Scenes - Lipton Commercial with the Dixie Chicks

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Behind the scenes - Lipton Commercial with the Dixie Chicks

Following the controversy, the Dixie Chicks starred in a television commercial for Lipton Iced Tea, which made hilarious tongue-in-cheek references to the blacklisting the band received as a result of their comments. The ad takes place at a Chicks performance in an unnamed stadium. The electricity suddenly cuts out, but the Chicks keep playing as they dive into a gorgeous, acapella rendition of "Cowboy Take Me Away." The commercial showed the Chicks, once again, not giving a f*ck what people had to say.

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The Dixie Chicks Become a Rock Band

Photo by PAUL BERGEN EPA-EFE

Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt with The E Street Band during European Tour


In September of 2003, during an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, Martie Maguire explained that following the London backlash the band no longer felt like a part of the country scene and that the genre "can't be our home anymore." "Let them hate us," she said. Maguire described the lack of support from country stars and being booed and shunned at the 2003 ACM Awards. "We now consider ourselves part of the big rock n' roll family," they said. Dixie Chick fans were dismayed, but rock and roll fans were ecstatic. The distinction came as a result of Rock n' Roll's unflinching support of the group's right to express themselves. Legendary rockers like Bruce Springsteen expressed support for the trio, with the New Jersey rocker calling haters of the group "un-American."

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The Dixie Chicks Fight for LGBTQ Rights


In 2005, long before LGBTQ+ rights became a trendy, national phenomenon, Maguire, Robison and Maines joined 31 other popular musicians, including Dolly Parton, Yoko Ono, and Mandy Moore, to record a double disc compilation album titled Love Rocks. The album was made in support of LGBTQ+ rights, and the group contributed the excellent song "I Believe In Love."

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Dixie Chicks Release "Not Ready To Make Nice"

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Dixie Chicks - Not Ready To Make Nice (Official Video)

In the spring of 2006 the Dixie Chicks released "Not Ready to Make Nice" in advance of what would be their critically acclaimed album Taking the Long Way. The single directly addressed the controversy and once and for all showed the haters that the country trio didn't give a f*ck about what conservatives thought about them. The group described the writing process as "therapy." The song became a chart-topping success and the band's biggest hit to date. "I made my bed, and I sleep like a baby with no regrets," Maines sings. The song is pure savagery, and it solidified the group as not just country icons, but as powerful political voices.

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